


Winter Hearts

by orphan_account



Series: Mystic Messenger: The Hearts Series [2]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angsty Jumin, Jaehee and MC are a background couple, M/M, MC is Vanderwood's sister, This fic has too much going on, Zen is very tsundere, eventual wedding crashing, everyone hates Sarah Choi, oh well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 18:34:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8457784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: One freezing his emotions into a prison in his heart, one hiding his feelings from himself in a wild blizzard.Or:Jumin gets stuck in an arranged marriage and Zen helps him out of it after an unnecessary amount of complications.Inspired by mariamagica





	1. Before

Zen could still remember the day they first met offline.

It had been a cold, slushy day right in the middle of winter, a textbook example of why he didn’t like this type of weather. Plans for the party were still being made, but things were starting to heat up as the date started to grow closer. He was on his way to a rehearsal for his next show, trudging through the sludge in an effort to not be late.  _ How could the subway be blocked now, when I need it most?  _ He tightened his thick coat around himself as a brisk and particularly cold wind blew through the abandoned streets. There was a good chance that practice had been rescheduled, and if he knew for sure that it was, he wouldn’t be out here. Unluckily, he hadn’t heard from the manager and there was no way he was going to miss a practice.

It would just be a lot more  _ pleasant  _ if he didn’t have to walk in this god-awful weather to get there.

As if some deity had heard his thoughts, a vehicle suddenly appeared on the street. It was a limousine of all things, gliding quietly on the icy road, coming to a stop beside him. He stopped walking, hoping that he could convince whoever was in the car to give him a ride. He really should have seen it coming, but in that moment he was too cold to make the connection. As soon as the door opened and he could see the figure sitting comfortably on the leather seat, he realized what a twisted deity must have answered his prayer to send him Jumin Han, the cat freak.

“Hello, Zen. Funny meeting you in person here like this. On your way to a rehearsal, I assume? There’s nothing else that would get you out in this weather.” He was entirely correct, and Zen hated that. This guy was always just so  _ annoying _ , in the messenger and, apparently, in person as well.

“Yes, so if you’ll just leave me to go, that’d be great.” He made sure to put all the passive-aggression he could into the sentence, but it all seemed to go over the trust fund kid’s head.

“You’re obviously not enjoying yourself out here, and whatever time your practice starts you’re probably going to be late if you keep walking. Get in the car.”

Absolutely correct once again, and even the tiniest bit polite. Damn it.

He got in the car without a word, but he made sure to sulk aggressively at the man who had saved him from the cold. Just because he was being nice didn’t mean he still wasn’t the annoying prick  _ He better not being thinking anything rude about me. _

 

Jumin was of course surprised to see Zen as he was headed back to his penthouse after a meeting. He had the rest of the day off due to the snow and had been planning on playing with Elizabeth III for the afternoon, but he had enough of a conscience that he couldn’t leave the obviously suffering man in the snow. He had complained enough in the messenger to make it obvious how much he despised this weather, and if the red nose, folded arms, and occasional shivering coming from the coat-clad form sitting next to him was any indicator, he had most likely been out there long enough for anyone to become uncomfortable. His dedication to his profession was admirable. He was also pouting like a child.  _ How cu- Childish. How childishly childish. _

  
  


Zen had to admit that getting a ride was a lot better than walking on a day like today, especially in a car like this. The heating vent was blowing a steady jet of hot air, taking away the chill from his face and fingers. He eventually decided that he should stop sulking and thank Jumin for the ride, but when he turned around to face him, he found that the corporate heir had been staring at him already, for who knows how long. He was a bit surprised to see that his eyes were a stunning silver color, unlike the plain grey they appeared to be in the few pictures that he had sent in the chat, and his hair practically sparkled even in the filtered light coming through the tinted limo window.  _ How does he get his hair so shiny? It looks like it has silver or something in it… Does his shampoo have gold flakes in it?  _ The actor quickly looked away, fixing his attention on the window, where he could see that there was even more snow coming down now. Oh, joy. 

A semi-awkward, semi-comfortable silence had settled in the car, and Zen was perfectly okay with it staying, but of course Jumin had to break it.

“Do you have an adress to where you’re going, or should I just take you back home with me?” He hadn’t realized that he had forgotten to say where he was going, and only just now noticed that the driver had been circling the block. The way the question had been phrased caught him a bit off-guard though, and it took him a moment too long to respond.

“Oh, it’s the Pen-Pen-Po theater company, it should be a few blocks this way then…”

“Driver Kim, google it.” He gave curt instructions to his driver, then turned to Zen once more. “That’s a stupid name for a theater company.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who named it, at least!”  _ How does this guy get under my skin so easily?! _

“I never said you did. You’d probably come up with something at least slightly better than that.” The robot managed to stay cool and emotionless, as always, which made it hard to tell if that was supposed to be a compliment or sarcasm.

“... Thanks for the ride, by the wa-  _ achoo!”  _ His belated thanks was interrupted by a sneeze, and when his eyes began to water, he knew exactly what it was.

“Is there cat hair in here?!”

“Elizabeth has been in the car several times whenever I take her somewhere, so there has definitely-”  “ _ Achoo! _ ”  “-been cat hair in here at some point, but I had the car cleaned just this morning, so all of it should have been collected. Otherwise-”  “ _ Achooo! _ ”  “-I’ll have to find more qualified staff to do it from now on.”

“I don’t care about how competent your staff is, you know I have a cat allergy!” At this, Jumin tilted his head, brow scrunching up slightly in confusion.

“Cat...allergy?”  _ Oh my God whyyyyy…. _

“Yes, a cat allergy! I’ve said it in the messenger enough for everyone else to know by now!”

“...How can one be allergic to cats?”

“It’s just-  _ achoo  _ -it’s just how I am, I can’t do anything about it!” This was just his luck, to have to endure his allergy even when there was no cat hair in the car. At this rate his face would be a puffy mess when he finally got to the rehearsal and-

“Here. This should help. Commoners use these when something in the air makes them sneeze, right?” He had slipped a medical mask over Zen’s face in one swift move, hands lingering on the straps behind his ears, leaning towards him slightly in order to put it on. His cheeks felt a bit warm, but that was just a combination of the heating vents and the cotton suddenly covering them, of course. He simply nodded to answer the question, and Jumin leaned back into his seat. The mask did seem to be helping, at least.

 

After a bit more driving, they arrived at the small building where the rehearsal was supposed to be taking place. Zen got out of the car and practically ran towards the building, leaving the car door open. Driver Kim made to get out and close it, but Jumin stopped him.

“Wait just a moment. I have a hunch his practice was canceled.” As usual, he was correct in his guess, and in just a minute Zen was getting back in the car, pouting again, mask forgotten around his neck.  _ Does he even realize that he’s doing it? He looks like such a child. _

“Are you going to take me to my place or do I have to walk this time?” He was very clearly agitated that his practice had been canceled and he had ventured outside for no reason, even though most of the trip had been in the comfort of Jumin’s car. He didn’t get a direct answer to his question, but he got what he wanted nonetheless. 

“Driver Kim, take us to Zen’s apartment. The address should be on one of his fan sites.” 

The drive to his apartment was mostly entirely silent, interrupted once when Zen began sneezing again and remembered to put the mask back on.

 

When the day for the party finally came, Jumin made sure that Elizabeth III had the most comfortable transportation possible to and from the event, as well as an ample amount of snacks for her to enjoy. Bringing a cat was of course a bit unconventional, and he could have left her with a cat sitter like he did when he went on business trips, but he wanted to keep her at his side today. There was also perhaps a small part of him that simply wanted to annoy Zen. After meeting him that winter and finding out about his cat allergy, he had begun a new form of interaction between them on the messenger, consisting of him sending pictures of Elizabeth and Zen complaining that it aggravated his allergy. He understood it more than he pretended to now, but there was still an element of it that confused him. He had been thinking about Zen more than he would consider normal, and he didn’t see an obvious reason as to why. It could have to do with the similarities he had with Elizabeth, with his white hair and cat-like mouth, as well as his sneezes. They sounded remarkable similar to how Elizabeth had when she was a kitten, and he couldn’t deny that his desire to hear those sneezes again had been the deciding factor as to whether he brought his princess with him or not. The part that confused him was how someone so remarkably similar to cats could be allergic to them, and he had determined that the best way to either figure it out or cure him of the affliction was to continually expose him to his precious Elizabeth and cats in general. This was a perfect plan and Zen would eventually thank him for it.

 

Zen was absolutely pissed at Jumin for bringing his hairball to the party. He already knew of his allergy, even if he didn’t comprehend it, yet he still brought that cat with him. Worse yet, he seemed to be taking every opportunity to put the furbag as close to his face as possible, triggering a long chain of rapid-fire sneezes. He eventually resorted to borrowing a mask from Jaehee, but even that didn’t help much with the cat shoved so insistently at his face. When his eyes were clear enough to actually see anything, it even looked like the cat freak would smirk every time he sneezed. Needless to say, only one of them enjoyed the party.

  
For weeks afterwards, it was the source of many of their arguments on the messenger, but things eventually mellowed out as everyone was dealing with the aftermath of the party. They resumed their normal routine, but little did they know how soon it would be changing in ways unthinkable to them now.


	2. New Member

Rika’s death came as a major shock to everyone, and it took everyone a while to readjust to their new reality; some better than others. There were no more plans to hold the next party, and the messenger became quieter as they no longer had important things to discuss. Almost two years passed before something major happened that changed the routine that had become ingrained within them.

  
<Time: 20:28>  
Yoosung: Waah! I failed my midterms…  
707: That’s because you were playing LOLOL all night lol.  
Jumin Han: You need to be more careful of your GPA if you’re going to be working for our company.  
Yoosung☆: I’m still on the list?!  
ZEN: Lame… That’s neopotism.  
Jumin Han: It’s recruitment.  
707: I thought they were the same thing?  
707: WAIT!  
707: There’s someone else in the chatroom!!!  
Yoosung☆: OMG!!! How did they get in?!?!?  
ZEN: Is it a hacker!?!?  
707: It could be just a bot  
MC: Umm… Hi?  
Yoosung☆: It talked!!  
Jumin Han: Assistant Kang!  
707: Are you really a person…?  
MC: I’m a person!  
MC: Someone hacked my phone while I was trying to download an app and gave me directions to an apartment, which is where I am now.  
Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han, I am here. This situation seems to be a bit out of the ordinary.  
MC: Jaehee?!  
MC: You’re the last person I expected to be here!  
ZEN: WTF?  
Yoosung☆: OMG YOU KNOW HER?!?  
Jumin Han: This is all quite shocking.  
Jaehee Kang: Mary!?  
Jaehee Kang: Why would you go to someplace a stranger told you to?!? A hacker, no less.  
707: How do you two know each other though?  
MC: Oh that’s easy!  
MC: We’re…  
Jaehee Kang: Friends!  
Jaehee Kang: We frequently go to the same coffee shop.

  
Jumin had not been aware of Jaehee having any friends outside of the RFA, and hearing of her for the first time in these circumstances within the supposedly private messenger was truly startling. This seemed in no way to be planned, and he was a bit curious as to how this situation came to be. It at least seemed to be that there was no danger from the stranger, considering her connection to a member and his trustworthy employee, which His mind wandered a bit to what the known flirt of the group would do. He better not embarrass himself or the organization.

  
Zen was freaking out over the entire situation, initianally being shocked beyond rational thought. He was beginning to recover some capability of logic as he processed the information. His rationality was still our of commission, however, because he came to the conclusion that this woman was somehow linked to Jumin and therefore he needed to exessivly flirt with her. To protect her from the cat freak, of course. Who better to protect her than himself, right?

  
<Private Message Mode>  
Jaehee Kang: I’m sorry that I had to lie, Mary.  
MC: I get it, you don’t feel ready to come out to them, right?  
MC: Plus that Jumin guy, I'm guessing he’s your boss.  
Jaehee Kang: Thank you for understanding…  
MC: Promise me that we’ll tell them soon?  
Jaehee Kang: … Alright.  
MC: Great! I won’t say a word to them until you’re ready, though.  
MC: But that Jumin guy better not give you too much work while I’m here.  
MC: Love you, Baehee!  
Jaehee Kang: Love you too.  
Jaehee Kang: And please stop using that nickname.  
<Private Message Mode Deactivated>

  
707: Why do you call her Mary though???  
MC: Oh, that’s because my full name is Mary-Camelia, I usually go by MC but Jaehee just really doesn’t like nicknames for some reason…  
Yoosung☆: Woah! You have a really fancy name!  
ZEN: A name fit for a princess~  
Jumin Han: Zen, please try to be professional. This person is an utter stranger to you, and your first instinct is to flirt?  
ZEN: Of course!  
Jaehee Kang: Zen, you must be concious of your public image for your career. As your fan, I must advize against flirting with MC.  
Jumin Han: Regardless, we must determine what should be done considering the situation.  
MC: So, are the rest of you going to introduce yourselves?  
Yoosung☆: Oh right! Sorry, we all forgot with the surprise of this and all.  
Yoosung☆: I’m Yoosung Kim, I’m a student at SKY University.  
MC: So you’re a kid then…  
Yoosung☆: T_T  
Yoosung☆: I’m an adult!!  
ZEN: I’m Zen, age 24, musical actor.  
Jumin Han: Jumin Han, 27, co-chairman at C&R International  
707: Wow, you guys are talking like this is a dating app lolololol.  
707: “Which one will she choose? The narcissistic actor or the emotionless corporate heir?”  
MC: Or maybe…  
MC: They choose each other!!!  
707: The rumours were true!!!!!  
ZEN: No way that would happen!!!! You two are crazy!!!!  
Jumin Han: I would never be with someone who refuses to accept the beauty that is Elizabeth the 3rd.  
MC: That’s your cat, right? Jaehee told me about her.  
MC: You seem to enjoy leaving her to take care of your pet.  
MC: I happen to like cats in general, but I must say…  
MC: It’d be quite a shame if, the next time you did that  
MC: Something would happen to that cat.  
Jumin Han: Any threats made against Elizabeth can and will be acted upon with legal action.  
MC: Oh, but who said it was a threat? And what can you really do if I were to act on it?  
MC: Let’s say it would go something like this: Jaehee would complain to me about having to watch the cat, as she has done before  
MC: I, being a good friend, cat lover, and experienced pet owner, would offer to take said cat for the day so she could work in peace. The address for your company’s offices isn't a secret, after all.  
MC: Then I would of course play with her. I happen to have a fair amount of hair ribbons, and everything goes well with white after all.  
Jumin Han: You wouldn’t dare.  
MC: Oh but I would. Besides, the worst that could happen would be that the ribbons would get stuck in her fur, which would require  
MC: A haircut.  
707: Noooo!!!! A haircut is too much!!!  
707: I'm quite good with knots, you could just bring her to me!  
ZEN: You are all too obsessed with that cat...  
Jaehee Kang: I agree.  
MC: Aww, come on Jaehee!  
MC: What is this messenger for anyways, none of you seem to have much in common.  
707: This would be the RFA messenger.  
707: I think it would be safe to guess that you’re in what used to be Rika’s apartment.  
MC: The RFA!?!?!!  
MC: I remember the last party, it was so much fun! I spoke for the Young Novelists Association! Rika’s death must have been such a tragedy for all of you, she seemed like an amazing person from what little I knew.  
MC: It’s been almost two years since then, right? The next party would have been soon! Wait, I have this email option on the app, is that for all of you?  
MC: I guess not, it only showed up when I connected to this apartment’s wifi network. If this is where Rika lived, and she was in charge of organizing the guests…  
MC: Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but start finding guests, we’re hosting a party!  
MC: Jumin you're in charge of finding a place to hold the party, Yoosung you're in charge of food, I want everyone to find at least three people/organizations to invite by the end of the week, I’ll make sure they all agree to come and take care of decoration planning.  
MC: Aahh this I going to be so much fun! I'm so excited! Bye now, I'm going to search this place for anything from a previous party that could help!  
<MC has left the chat room>  
707: …  
Yoosung:...  
ZEN: …  
Jumin Han: …  
Jaehee Kang: … She is quite excitable.  
Yoosung: I guess it'll be nice to have the party again. She’s really different from Rika though, this’ll be kinda weird.  
ZEN: No kidding, she’s more like Seven.  
Jumin Han: True. It makes me a bit concerned as to her work ethic.  
707: Hey! If she’s anything like me, she’ll pull through when it counts!  
Jaehee Kang: Her work ethic is one thing she does not share with Seven. At all.  
707: T_T  
ZEN: Shouldn’t we talk to V about this first?  
<V has entered the chat room>  
707: God Seven, granting your wish the moment it is spoken!  
Jumin Han: Don’t refer to yourself as a god, you sound more narcissistic than Zen.  
ZEN: Hey! I can't help it if I'm this gorgeous.~  
V: So, it seems that MC is really eager to plan the party.  
V: If she thinks she can pull it off, I see no reason to stop her. It would be nice to have the party back.  
707: Ok then, everybody, we’re planning a party!!!

  
This unexpected turn of events startled everyone, but they now readied themselves for what might come next. This would not be the last shocking surprise they would have to face; some would be painful to endure, but by the end of this, there would be something of a reward for the two who would need it most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait everyone! School's been pretty busy and I haven't dedicated much time to this. This chapter was just to move the plot along a bit, so apologies for it being short or rushed. I'm going to take a little break from this until winter vacation, so that I can make sure to bring you guys the best writing that I can. Thank you for understanding!


	3. An Unpleasant Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! I'm so so so sorry this took so long and at it ended up being so short everyone! I'll try to update sooner for the rest of the chapters...  
> Anyways, I hope you think this was worth the wait!

Everyone found themselves a bit busier than they had planned on being that week with planning for the party, but it was enjoyable work. MC agreed to handle most of the arrangements, keeping them from feeling stressed at all, and she made sure that the chat was used frequently to keep everyone informed. Things were going smoothly so far, with a venue and catering arranged for the party and a growing guest list being assembled. The chat, however, was not always so peaceful, with MC and Seven causing more mischief than either seemed capable of on their own. With how well those two got along, it was hard to remember that she was Jaehee’s friend. The bickering between Jumin and Zen was still present, true but Jumin liked to believe that it was those two causing the most trouble.  
 **ZEN** : Stop sending pictures of the hairball, jerk! My eyes are going to get swollen from sneezing right before my next rehearsal!  
 **Jumin Han** : It's not my fault you can't appreciate her absolute beauty.  
 **ZEN** : Not my fault either, I. Have. An. Allergy.  
 **Jumin Han** : Nya~  
 **ZEN** : SHUT UP!!!  
 **ZEN** : I hate everything about that stupid cat!  
 **Jumin Han** : You do know you happen to look like her, white hair and all.  
 **707** : Beep Boop Beep!  
 **MC** : Stretch logic opportunity detected!  
 **707** : Jumin says that Zen looks like Elly...  
 **MC** : Jumin loves Elly…  
 **MC** : Therefore,  
 **707** : Jumin  
 **MC** : Loves  
 **707** : Zen!  
 **ZEN** : What!? You two are crazy, who would even come to that conclusion?!?!?!  
 **Jaehee Kang** : I have to agree, you two are taking this a bit far.  
 **Jumin Han** : Thank you, Assistant Kang.  
… So maybe their regular arguments had become the fodder for their shenanigans, but they were still at fault for how often they insinuated he had romantic feelings for Zen. The very notion was ridiculous! Although, it would be nice if they became more friendly, as long as Zen could stop being so childish, talking about himself, and insulting Elizabeth III. They were part of the same organization after all.  
_Maybe I can try starting over with him at the party…_ But his thoughts were soon interrupted by a notification on his phone. Reading it, he saw that it was a simple message from his father telling him to meet with him for dinner. Jumin sighed. Those meetings always involved stilted conversations and awkward introductions to whomever his father was more than simply ‘seeing’ at the moment. Assistant Kang would be happy to know she could get off work early, at least.

“...And that is why we have decided that you are to marry Glam’s student Sarah.” Jumin nearly spit out his wine in shock, managing to save his dignity at the last second. He had come to expect unreasonable decisions concerning women when his father was involved, but this? This went above and beyond expectation, crazier than anything he had ever prepared for.  
“F-father, are you sure?” He mentally cursed his voice for sounding so unsure. “This seems to be quite a sudden decision, some extra consideration would be prudent.”  
“Son, you know I’m only asking you to do this for the good of the company. You’ve never showed any interest in women before, this should be just fine with you. Sarah is a lovely young woman, you’re lucky she’s such a catch! Just wait until you meet her, those rumors will be blown out of the water!” The tacky woman at his shoulder laughed at that, and they both sounded almost excited as they whispered to each other. Jumin cursed himself a second time for not listening to their conversation, wishing he had paid attention instead of texting under the table, if only to have even a single fact to argue against this ridiculous idea with. Now he could only hope they hadn't made any wedding plans.  
“The wedding is in exactly a week! You'll be taking time off to get ready, and of course meet Sarah.” Well there goes that hope.

When Jumin returned to his room, he was exhausted. His phone had been buzzing almost nonstop, undoubtedly with messages from the RFA. He turned it off. He knew that he'd have to tell all of them about what happened, and just didn't feel up to it right then.  
After changing into more comfortable clothes, he let himself fall on top of his bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking. _Why do things have to be like this…_ With the RFA party back on thanks to MC, he had hoped that there would be something to look forward to, but now that this had happened he didn’t know if he could be excited for it. His father's words came back into his mind, and his hand went to the bridge of his nose to pinch it. _There’s a reason I don’t have interest in women, father…_ If he was ever confronted about it, he’d deny it, and he barely had enough experience to feel certain of it himself, but the rumors of his sexuality were truer than anyone else thought. The teasing he'd gotten from Seven and MC might even have an ounce of truth to them, but he didn't want to think about Zen. those feelings were too complicated to think about right now. He didn’t want to feel anything at the moment, he just wanted to be numb to all of the hurt and confusion swirling around like a stormy sea inside him. To not feel anything, even if just for a while. Elizabeth chose this moment to jump up on his bed, climbing onto his chest and curling up, perhaps to go to sleep. He brought a hand up to stroke her soft fur, finally starting to relax a bit. Another fact that he would sooner deny than admit to, but he cried that night before going to sleep. Elizabeth let him feel that it was safe to do so, that right now no one in the whole world could see him be weak. That night, he loosened the knots in his chest as much as he dared, then closed his heart back up. It froze over and became solid, and no one was any wiser that it could be anything else.


	4. A Call and a Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I got this one done really fast. I didn't even have this scene in my original plan! Short, as usual, but I'm hitting 700 hundred words a chapter pretty well, so I think that will be the status quo from now on. Anyways, as always, enjoy!

When Jumin woke up in the morning, he was still tired. Probably because his phone had turned itself on while it was charging, and someone was calling him at four a.m. Rolling onto his side, he blindly swept his hand across his nightstand until he found the device. He pressed answer, then brought it to his ear, the person on the other end immediately speaking.  
“What the hell were you doing, jerk! You were being your usual annoying self and then poof! Gone! You better have a damned good explanation for this!” It took Jumin a minute to place the voice.  
“...Zen?” _What is he doing, calling at this hour? Him, out of all of them?_  
“Damn right I am, now fess up!” Ah, he’d have to tell him about his father’s engagement plans for him.  
“I’d rather talk about this in the morning, I can tell everyone on the messenger-” He was cut off.  
“No, you are telling me _now _because I’ve been up half the night worrying about you and it took me three times to even get you to pick up the phone and you’re _not _going to keep any secrets big enough that you can't even bother to check into the messenger all night!” Now this was another surprise out of him.____  
“You… were worried about me?” Jumin managed to gain a small bit of satisfaction from the way Zen spluttered on the other of the phone.  
“Th- I’m- A- Ugh, ignore that and tell me what happened already! No excuses!” He sighed, resigning himself to saying what happened.  
“...I’m engaged.” There it was, ripped out of his mouth fast like a bandage. There was silence on the other end. Jumin almost hung up before Zen spoke again.  
“That’s… well… Alright then, who’s the unlucky lady?”  
“It’s… someone my father picked out. Preparations start tomorrow.” More silence.  
“So… Um… Do you want me to tell everyone? I mean, they want to know too, and I don't trust you to do it yourself!”  
“That’s… surprisingly considerate of you.”  
“Alright then! Goodnight, Cat freak!” Zen hung up. Jumin let the dial tone beep in his ear, the tiniest of smiles teasing his mouth.  
“Goodnight, Zen.”

When Jumin had dropped out of the chat room, no one suspected anything at first. It took two hours without a word from him for anyone to start worrying. It was unusual for him to leave without saying so, after all. An hour after that, however, everyone decided that something had happened and he would show up in the morning to explain it. Zen put it out of his mind and went over his script before going to bed. Despite his efforts and his better judgement, he kept thinking about Jumin’s sudden absence. His brain decided that the time he was trying to sleep was perfect for concocting all sorts of scenarios. A CEO was valuable enough to be kidnapped, after all.  
Easy to say, he did not get much sleep.  
The insomnia was annoying in and of itself, but what little sleep he did get was even worse. Dreams of a bleak, grey landscape, with not a single plant in sight and snow riding the harsh wind like freezing bullets. He could barely see anything, but what few glimpses he had were of a tall man with dark hair, stumbling in the deep snow, falling down half the times Zen saw him. Every time he woke up, he was freezing cold. Stubbornly, he refused to do anything about it until it was almost four a.m. and the man didn't stand up when he fell.  
“Damn it, you asshole…” He muttered as he punched in the number. By the second ring his leg was bouncing restlessly. When his call went to voicemail he jumped to the worst conclusions. While he waited for someone to pick up on his second call he bit his thumbnail. By the time he was dialing for the third time, he was pacing the room.  
_No no no no whatever happened you better not be… !_  
The call went through.

Neither of them went back to sleep immediately after the call. They had the same thought keeping them up as it pressed on their minds:  
_He didn’t say how he felt about it._


	5. Meeting the Fiancé

Waking up that morning was a mistake. Not only was he tired from being woken up so early, but from the moment he was dressed he was carried off to a chaotic flurry of questioning. He was handed booklets of different foods and decor to choose from, guest lists to approve, and every question he was asked ended in “for the wedding.”  
At one point, he told one of the planners to just ask Sarah. The answer he got was “These are the options she selected for you to decide from,” leaving him with no way out.  
Towards the end of the day, he was finally released. Who knew weddings required so much planning? He checked his phone, seeing the messenger full of congratulations for his engagement, the most recent ones asking where he was.  
Jumin Han: Sorry everyone.  
Jumin Han: I was busy with wedding plans.  
MC: This really is a whirlwind arrangement!  
707: *sniff* He’s growing up so fast!  
Jumin Han: I am older than you.  
Yoosung: Man, your so lucky! I'd be so excited to be getting married, even if it was arranged. I trust my parents.  
Jumin cringed a bit at that comment. Yoosung was too innocent to mean anything by it, but the words hurt nonetheless.  
Yoosung: But, why was Zen the one to tell us about it?  
Jumin Han: He called me last night and I asked him to tell all of you.  
MC: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
707: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
Jaehee Kang: ಠ_ಠ  
Jaehee Kang: You two need to stop insinuating such things now that Mr. Han is engaged.  
MC: You used an emoji!! I'm so proud of you!  
707: Okay, okay, we’ll stop.  
707: Can we get the name of the lady, at least?  
Jumin Han: Sarah Choi, if I remember correctly.  
Jumin Han: I'll be having dinner with her tonight.  
707: Ooh, the tabloids say she’s a real bomb of a woman~  
Jaehee Kang: ಠ_ಠ  
707: Jaehee with emojis is too!! Powerful!!  
They continued to talk excitedly, most likely about some prank. Jumin turned his phone off with a sigh. He was tired from the wedding plans, and was about to be tried by the dinner with his fiancé, and he felt it would be easier to get through it without the constant reminders of his friends.

* * *

 

“So anyway, sweetie, tell me more about the pool at the hotel you were at on your last trip,” said Sarah while taking a bite of lobster. Jumin had the resist the urge to massage the bridge of his nose every moment he was with this woman. During the meal, she didn't so much speak between bites as take bites between speaking, and the constant noise gave him an excuse to quietly pick at his steak as well as a migraine. It didn't help that her conversation topics seemed limited to money, makeup, and herself. Where he was regarded, she seemed insistent on using pet names and keeping the conversation away from his own interests.  
“I didn't get a chance to see it, I was busy with meetings.” She frowned at him.  
“You're no fun, being all businessy like that.”  
“Our engagement is part of business, isn't it?” As loathe as he was to breach that topic, he couldn't bite back the retort. Sarah grinned with her mouth and glared with her eyes.  
“Oh sure, it has business reasons, but it's going to be more than that, isn't it Juju? That's why we’re here, to get to know each other, fall in love, maybe even have a little fun after dinner, hmm~?” He looked back down at his steak, pointedly cutting another piece.  
“I’d prefer if we didn't,” and he didn't know if he wanted her to pick out the layered meaning behind that or not. She pouted as he chewed, but soon she was back to talking a mile a minute, and he went back to ignoring her.

* * *

  
Getting away from Sarah has been an ordeal. First she had wanted dessert, then she insisted on clinging to him until he finally managed to shut the door in her face. Understandably, while he was sitting on his sofa, Jumin found himself wanting to vent. Normally, he'd complain to Elizabeth, but that night he found himself wanting an audience that could speak. An audience of one, made up of the person with no filter and that had been contacting him a surprising amount recently.  
He had called Zen before he knew it.  
“Hello?”  
“Good evening, Zen.”  
“What’re you calling me for, Jerkmin?” This was not off to a great start.  
“I wanted to… vent, about the wedding, and last night you seemed invested in the matter. I figured you might want to hear about it again.” Zen huffed, and Jumin could practically see the annoyed face reserved for their interactions only (he hoped).  
“If it means hearing proof that you're not a robot, then sure, go ahead.”  
“Well, to start, my fiancé’s name is Sarah Choi.” Zen interrupted immediately.  
“Oh, I've read about her in some of the tabloids I've been in. She seems like a bitch.”  
“She is. The entire conversation at dinner revolved around her. She even tried coercing me into bed with her.”  
“Any other man would consider himself lucky to be in that position.”  
“Not after hearing her talk about the twelve different shades of bubblegum lipstick.” Zen laughed at that, a laugh that Jumin didn't think he'd ever managed to get out of him before.  
“Sounds like a real headache.”  
“Trust me, it was.”  
“Are you going to be okay getting hitched to that though?  
“It's business. Say, you were absent from the messenger today. Busy with work?” The change in subject was anything but subtle, but Zen seemed to go along with it nonetheless.  
“Yeah, I was running lines with the other actors.”  
“Tell me about your latest production. What's the script like? How are the other actors?”  
“Woah there, what's with the sudden interest in my life?”  
“Just returning the favor.”  
“Touché. Well, the other actors all seem competent, at least. The director, on the other hand? Rehearsals got canceled for this whole week because he’s busy with “personal matters” and his head is stuck too far up his ass for him to let the rest of the crew do anything while he’s gone! Honestly…” Zen continued on like that for the better part of an hour, and Jumin listened to every word, relaxed just by the sound of his voice. They hung up when they realized how late it was, and Jumin finally got ready for bed. He laid there with a warm smile lingering on his face, basking in the content feeling of talking with Zen. It relieved the negativity in him, turned the bone-deep weariness into a lighter sleepiness, and he clung onto it as he drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ufrhugvcrrfvbjrnrfnruvv  
> It's unbelievable how long it takes me to write this, sorry again! I've done a magical thing called planning though, so now I have an actual outline for what I'm writing next. (Let's hope it actually helps lol.) We're getting to the part where things pick up, so if anyone has any ideas for what they ABSOLUTLY NEED TO SEE in the next chapters, hit me up!


	6. Beer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry that it took me a month to update. I really have no excuse. I'll try my very best to get the next chapter out sooner, things start heating up then.   
> Anyways, I hope that you do enjoy what I have to offer right now!

[9:25]  
MC: Everyone, I am happy to say that all the plans for the RFA party are complete!  
Jaehee Kang: Catering has been arranged and we have a guest list of over twenty attendees.  
MC: And, considering Jumin’s wedding situation, I found us a cool place to host it!  
Jumin Han: I apologize again for that. I can't believe it's taking place in our usual venue, or that the set up will take so long.  
MC: No worries! Jaehee and I have this covered.  
Yoosung: Wow, you two are amazing! Where is it going to be?  
MC: You’ll find out soon~  
Jaehee Kang: I've tried getting her to tell me, but she insists that it has to be a surprise.  
MC: (｡◕‿‿◕｡)  
MC: It's been futgfrfdessaqq  
Yoosung: ?  
Jaehee Kang: I have confiscated her phone.  
Yoosung: You're together?  
Jaehee Kang: Yes, we’ve been at a coffee shop for the past few hours.  
707: Lol the way that question was phrased-  
MC: I’m back!   
Yoosung: That was quick! How'd you get your phone back?  
MC: I have my ways~

Jaehee Kang: Kissing me to get your phone back is a dirty tactic  
MC: But you look so cute blushing like that! Too embarrassed to even speak.  
Jaehee Kang: You're blushing too.  
MC: …   
Jaehee Kang: Will you tell me where the party is at now?  
MC: No! It's a surprise! I promise it's a nice place, but let me keep some mystery to it!  
Jaehee Kang: Fine, but only because I love you.  
Jaehee Kang: Now look who's blushing more.  
MC: I'll show you who’s blushing more-- In the real world!

[18:53]  
707: Oh, by the way, my maid showed up today!  
707: She’s cleaning up the place for me right now.  
Jaehee Kang: You have a maid?  
MC: Pics or it didn't happen  
707:   
707: Introducing to you, the lovely Mary Vanderwood the 3rd!  
Jaehee Kang: …   
MC: Okay, that's fake, I'm not your maid.  
707:?!?  
707: Your name is Vanderwood?  
MC: Ya

Reading over the chat log from the day was amusing after such a long workout session. An actor had to work hard, even if rehearsals were canceled. And with Jaehee and MC working on the party plans, Yoosung busy with schoolwork he'd almost forgotten due to LOLOL, Seven being Seven, and Jumin caught up in wedding plans, it wasn't like he had any close friends available to call up and hang out with. Zen stopped short in the middle of the sidewalk. _What is wrong with you, even thinking of spending time alone with Jumin!? _True, they'd hardly fought at all in the past few days, but that could hardly last much longer. It was only a matter of time before they went back to fighting.  
What he needed to clear his head was some fish bread and a cold beer.  
As it turns out, beer does not, in fact, do a good job of clearing your head. For some reason, Zen’s mind went to that day when he had first met Jumin in person. Specifically, the moments when it hadn't felt like their usual form of communication was fighting, when Jumin had been unexpectedly kind, when the light shone just right on his hair… _Stupid stupid stupid! Stop thinking about him like that! Why would you even think like that in the first place, you're barely friends with him as it is. And he’s engaged, too. _  
His face felt warm. Uncomfortably warm. He strode over to his fridge and grabbed another beer, then thought better of it. He held as many beers as he could in his arms and settled in for the night.  
The thoughts stayed in his mind, pinballing around, reminding him of Jumin’s shiny, silky, black hair, Jumin’s grey eyes when they went wide with confusion, Jumin’s lips… The drink cans kept piling up, and by the time he realized that he was going to end up drunk, he was too frustrated and inhibited to care. Yet those thoughts still stuck in his mind. “Call him, talk to him, tell him,” they seemed to urge. He gave in, and with a swift chug to finish the last drink --for courage or stupidity, don't ask him which-- he was twelve beers deep and clumsily tapping Jumin’s contact.Jumin sat on his couch stroking Elizabeth the 3rd, exhausted from yet another day of wedding planning and another evening dining with Sarah. He was about to go to bed, after all, the RFA party was tomorrow had he wanted to be fully rested for it.  
His phone rang. _What is Zen doing, calling me at this hour? _  
“H-heeeeeeeyy, *hic* Juuumin.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a headache.  
“Zen. Are you drunk?”  
“Maaaaaaaaaayy- *hic* Maybeeee~”  
“You're obviously drunk. Go drink some water and go to sleep, you have to be ready for the party in the morning. And so do I. Goodnight, I'll hang up-”  
“NOOOOOO- *hic* -OOooooooo!” Jumin had to flinch away from Zen’s loud voice, startling Elizabeth out of his lap. He held his phone away and apologized to her-- “Sorry, Princess.” --before returning it to his ear to listen to Zen’s ridiculous drunken rant.  
“- yyyyooooouuu, aaannnd *hic* I gooot soooomme beer, buuut it di’n’t *hic* wooork! Do yoou remember wwwhen we *hic* first met?” Jumin could barely understand half of what Zen was saying, much less what that half meant. It didn't help that he had missed some of the context.  
“Yes, I remember.” The line went silent.  
“Doooezz yoour *hic* shampoooo have goooold in it?” Jumin barely stopped himself from bursting out laughing, covering his mouth with the hand not currently occupied with a phone and letting out a snort or two.  
“No, Zen, I can assure you that none of my hair products have gold in them.”  
“... Wwhhaaaat about siiillver?” Another snort. Elizabeth was giving him an odd look.  
“No silver, either. What's gotten into you besides alcohol?”  
“Y-yooou have shiiiny pretty hair. It looks good with-with your face. *hic* Pretty.” Now Jumin held a hand to his face for a completely different reason. It felt warm and was probably flushing.  
“S-seriously, Zen. Where is all this coming from?” He didn't get an answer. The only things coming from the other end of the line were snores. He sighed.“Goodnight, Zen.”  
He supposed it was a good thing, even if the semi-coherent conversation left him with only more questions about Zen to add to the mental list he was determined never to touch. The party was tomorrow, after all, and they all needed their rest.  
It didn't stop him from clutching his chest as the word “pretty” rang over and over in his head.______


	7. Morning of the Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to make any excuses. It took me two months to write this and I feel like that's too long for what I managed to get done. Lesson learned: write several chapters before posting in order to keep up a schedule.

[9:46]  
MC: Here's the address for the party today everyone!  
MC: This is going to be awesome! See you @11!  
MC: {click_for_adress}

The beeping of his phone woke him up. Zen groaned as he rolled out of bed, shielding his eyes from the sunlight pouring into his apartment that felt harsher than it should have. _Ugh, did I get drunk last night? Can't really remember anything…_ He shuffled to his bathroom, hoping a shower would clear up his hangover. He washed up and was relaxing under the hot water that poured over him, letting his mind catch up with him. _Funny, I don’t think I set any alarm for today. Don’t have to go to work because of-_  
His sleepy eyes flew open and he jumped out of the shower, barrelling across the room to check his phone. Sure enough, there was a text with the new location of the RFA party.  
“Shit.”  
Zen launched himself into action. He pulled on his pants while brushing his teeth, tied up his hair as he shoved his arms into his signature jacket, and checked the address MC had sent while putting in his shoes.  
“Not too far. Ok.” He ran out the door, feet pounding against the pavement as he hoped he wouldn’t be late..

* * *

”We have arrived, Mr. Han,” Driver Kim announced. Jumin looked out the window to see a park that had been decorated with white columns and arches, all wrapped in flowering vines. There were a few banquet tables filled with hors d'oeuvres and other light refreshments, as well as several round tables for eating at, all covered in white and green tablecloths. In the center was Jaehee, talking with one of the catering staff and a woman who was presumably the MC from the messenger. Elizabeth mewled from her luxury leather carrier on the seat next to him.  
“Yes, Princess, we’ve arrived.” Jumin reached in to stroke her under her chin. She purred with his gentle affection. “MC seems to be all too much like Seven, but if Jaehee is friends with her she can't be as bad as him. I will make sure she can be trusted before introducing her to you.” He was looking forwards to the party, greatful that he could have an entire day to block out his worries from his mind. It would be a reprieve to give him the strength he needed to push through the coming days.  
He stepped out of the car, cradling Elizabeth’s carrier in his arms, and went to greet Jaehee and MC.  
MC proved to be unlike Seven enough to be trusted with Elizabeth. It wasn't long before said cat harasser arrived to the party, as well as Yoosung and a handful of guests who decided to show up early. It was odd that Zen had yet to come, though. It was minutes from eleven, and if he prided himself on anything besides his looks, it was his professionalism-  
“Sorry I’m late!” Suddenly, Zen ran through the entrance of the park. He nearly crashed into one of the pillars. As he stood out of the way of the guests, catching his breath, Jumin approached him.  
“Zen, glad to see you made it to the party, though I wasn't expecting you to come all shiny with sweat.”  
“Well, not everyone can be as perfect as you.” Jumin's heart stuttered. This was not how their banter usually went. This was the opposite of what someone so narcissistic should be saying, especially while panting and flushed. He straightened out his cuff links.  
“Isn't it more your style to say you're the perfect one?” Zen's face went blank in surprise for a moment before breaking into a sheepish grin.  
“Yeah, but I guess I can't really say that after last night.”  
“You actually remember last night? With how inebriated you were I'm surprised you remember your own name.” There, that was more like it.  
“Wait, _you_  know what I was doing last night?!”  
“Only because you called me, drunk, in the middle of the night. How much do you actually remember?” Zen briefly glanced down at his shoe.  
“Just that I had too much to drink on a night I shouldn't have. Why, did I say something weird?” Now it was Jumin’s turn for footwear inspection.  
“No, nothing weird, just incomprehensible. Who knew it was possible for one syllable to be stretched into fifteen?” And just like that, they were back to making jabs at each other, friendly now because of their tentative truce. Both men had some things he wouldn't tell the other, and that was to be expected. They weren't all that close. But Jumin still couldn't help the slight sinking in his chest, a touch hurt that Zen hadn't remembered what he'd said the night before. _Pretty hair_

* * *

  
The pair wandered around the party as more guests streamed in and mingled with each other. They did some mingling themselves. They were hosts after all! And after a while, all the hosts were gathered together.  
“Hi Zen! Hi Jumin! I was wondering where you guys were.” Yoosung, cheerful as ever was the first to greet them. Jumin, however, was not paying him any attention.  
“MC! Did you let that _scoundrel_  touch my dear Elizabeth!? How could you!” The ‘scoundrel’ was playing with the cat’s paws while she sat on the table.  
“Hi Jumin!” Came a fake, nasally voice. “Seven and MC have taken good care of me. We've had soooo much fun together!” MC then appeared from behind the table, returning to her natural voice.  
“Let's hope the resident actor doesn't _sneeze_  at my performance.”  
Zen sneezed. The rest of the group either chuckled or groaned at the pun.  
“Really? You - _achoo_! - had to bring your cat?” But he didn't scowl like he would before. Some might say he was almost smiling.  
And some might say the man he was looking at was almost smiling back.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. If there is anything you would like to say that you think would improve this or future chapters, please let me know.  
> Fun Fact: The name 'Pen-Pen-Po' is my attempt at a parody of the 'Zen-Zen-Zo' theater company, which I chose for obvious reasons.


End file.
